Gone Herding
by Kate Eldredge, age 8

Ever since I was 5 I was determined to get a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. At the age of 7 I got Flash (Culdi's Hearts on Fire CGC/TDI/HT) - a tricolor bitch from Stephanie Snide. We picked her up on February 14, 1998 - she was my best Valentine ever!

I started doing obedience, agility and tracking with her. When Flash was 4 months old, she got out and ended up in with the sheep. She brought them about 100 yards up the lane and into the barn all by herself! We decided my Mom would do herding with Flash so I wouldn't get run over by the sheep. I watched carefully and helped my Mom. Even Border Collie people admire Flash and say she has a great deal of talent.

In April 1999 at 17-months-old, Flash got her first HT leg with my mother handling her. It was not pretty, but the sheep were rowdy and we were happy she passed.

Then in July we entered Flash in Pennsylvania to hopefully finish her title. The sheep were a little flighty, Flash was wired and my Mom had to hustle a bit, but Flash qualified on Saturday to finish her HT title. Many people commented on Flash's herding talent and her bold attitude.

On Sunday we could not move Flash up to PT or give her slot to an alternate due to the scheduling. So we decided that I would run her in the HT myself for practice. I think my Mom was a little nervous. My mother asked a friend to take me to the emergency room if I got hurt so she could run her Belgian Tervuren in HI - I knew she was just kidding.

I wore my Mom's new blue herding hat which we gave her for Mother's Day. I took the stock stick and went to the handlers' meeting. Judge Linda Rorem was very friendly and helpful, carefully explaining what we had to do. Flash and I were scheduled to run 6th. So I practiced her "lie down" and watched a few runs while keeping Flash from watching and getting excited.

Finally it was our turn! We entered the ring before our sheep and I had Flash lie down and wait until the sheep were settled. The judge said we could start whenever we wanted.

For the HT, the dog has to pause at the start, then bring the sheep back and forth between 2 cones three times. At that point, you must stop and down your dog and call it to you and away from the sheep.

Flash never split the sheep and fetched them to me up and down the ring at a brisk pace. The judge reminded me to keep moving! I used my stock stick to help Flash wear (moving from 9:00 to 3:00 behind the sheep). It took a couple of tries to down her and call her off the sheep at the end as she was very enthusiastic.

I called her, the judge said to grab her collar and then the judge said "Congratulations!" That’s how an 8-year-old girl and a 20-month-old Corgi qualified in HT!!!

(Submitted to The Corgi Cryer, July 1999. This article won the Dog Writers Assoc of America's Junior Writer Award for 2000.)

[Notes from the mother here: I hate to say it, but Kate and Flash had a better run than either of my 2 runs with Flash - in fact, she had one of the better runs in HT all weekend. We decided it was because kids have no nerves! And it is a tribute to Flash's breeder, Stephanie Snide and Flash's parents - CH Brookehaven Heartthrob and CH Hungry Heart O' Culdi CD/HS/NA/NAJ that this little Corgi has the talent and temperment to do this.]